SMDC celebrates 60 years of defending the nation

By Jason B. Cutshaw, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public AffairsDecember 12, 2017

SMDC celebrates 60 years of defending the nation
Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica, former commanding general of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, speaks to Soldiers, civilians, retirees and friends of the command who came together to celebrate SMDC's history ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Soldiers, civilians, retirees and friends of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command came together to honor the command's 60 years of history from 1957 to 2017.

The USASMDC/ARSTRAT's Huntsville headquarters celebrated during a 60th anniversary ball at the Jackson Center in Huntsville Dec. 8, while the command's Colorado headquarters celebrated the anniversary during an earlier ball December 1 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

"Tonight, we celebrate the achievements of our command from 1957 through today," said Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson, SMDC commanding general. "Anniversaries are a time for reflection and celebration. As we remember the way things used to be, we think about how and why things have changed. The United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command has undergone significant changes and growth over its first 60 years."

SMDC may have begun with a handful of people in borrowed spaces on Redstone Arsenal but today approximately 2,700 critical teammates, both civilians and service members, are deployed around the world in defense of the nation.

"Over the past six decades, SMDC has provided space and missile defense capabilities to our nation," Dickinson said. "From the Cold War to the Gulf War, from the conflict in Vietnam to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, from confronting communism to battling terrorism, the talented and dedicated professionals of SMDC have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to excellence in defense of our great nation.

"For 60 years, the men and women of our command, have worked to defend our homeland, our troops, and allied forces wherever and whenever called upon through the full spectrum of warfare," he added.

SMDC traces its heritage to the Redstone Anti-Missile Missile System Office. RAMMSO was established by the Ordnance Corps Oct. 3, 1957. The office was the first Army organization with a missile defense and space mission.

Through the years, the command changed titles, but national defense remained its number one priority.

In 1997, the organization was renamed as a new major command, the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. It was the Army specified proponent for space and missile defense, as well as the overall integrator for theater missile defense. In 2002, the command adopted its current designation to reflect its responsibilities to both the Department of the Army and the U.S. Strategic Command.

In October 2006, SMDC was officially designated the Army Service Component Command for USSTRATCOM, formalizing their relationship.

As in the past, the command's missions have evolved to meet the needs of the nation and even today develops and provides current and future global space, missile defense and high altitude capabilities to the Army, joint force and America's allies and partners, to enable multi-domain combat effects; enhance deterrence, assurance, and detection of strategic attacks and protect the nation.

"SMDC/ARSTRAT has contributed significantly to our nation for these past 60 years," said retired Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica, former SMDC commanding general. "The command remains today a vital and important command that provides space, missile defense and related capabilities to our Army, to USSTRATCOM, to the geographic combatant commands and to our nation today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

"The command's history is rooted in the development of space, missile defense, high energy and related technologies. We're all about developing and deploying those capabilities," he added. "But ultimately, when you get right down to it, it is the Soldiers, sailors, airmen Marines and civilians who develop, deploy and operate these systems who are the most valuable space and missile defense capabilities our nation has. It is the people who have brought this command along for the past 60 years, and it is the people, those of you in this room and the many across the globe that you represent, who will take this command forward into its next 60 years."

Along with the speakers, the command historian said that every 10 years, since the 20th anniversary in 1977, the command has taken time to mark the occasion. She said that coming together as a team to celebrate the command and its contributions to history can greatly support the sense of esprit de corps.

"An anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the history of the organization - its accomplishments and contributions," said Sharon Watkins Lang, SMDC historian. "As the years have passed, the personnel responsible for the nation's first intercept of an ICBM, the deployment of the nation and the western world's first ballistic missile defense system, the first ever kinetic energy and directed energy intercepts, etc. have retired and current personnel may not be aware of the distinguished heritage of the USASMDC/ARSTRAT or the significant contributions to not only the history of the military but the history of technology.

"At the same time it is an opportunity to educate and explain why we are organized as we are, why we have these missions," she added. "Bringing everyone together is a great opportunity to share perspectives and insights as we prepare to move forward."

One SMDC civilian team member said the significance for her is the command's long history of achievement, success and innovation. She said SMDC's unspoken motto has always been Soldiers, family and people first, and for that reason she has chosen to spend 30 of her 33 government civilian years with the command.

"This command has so many highlights it is hard to choose one," said Dr. Claudette Owens, director of SMDC's Future Warfare Center Operations Directorate. "But for me personally, it is the technology initiated while I was the government manager of the Advanced Research Center that is now an asset that helps protect our national capital region. And, to see the space technology and missile systems we worked on years ago actually in the hands of our Soldiers makes me so very proud.

"The anniversary is a time to laugh and reminisce with present and past team members and family members," she added. "This command has been more than a workplace for me. It has been part of my family. I have been privileged to have the support of leaders and fellow peers from around the entire command."

One of SMDC's Soldiers said that by recognizing the command's history, team members pay homage to the leaders and their staffs who have made the command what it is today. He said those present honor that legacy by recognizing the achievements of the past and understanding the impacts of the contributions of those who have come before.

"USASMDC/ARSTRAT is built upon a lengthy history of achievement in space and missile defense," said Capt. Ryan A. Enix, commander, SMDC Headquarters and Headquarters Company. "The command has undergone incredible transformation since its inception as the Redstone Anti-Missile Missile System Office in 1957. As new threats emerge the command will continue to adapt to provide current and future global capabilities that deter, deny and defeat any challenge to support the nation's success.

"Today, every Soldier is space-enabled," he continued. "Our Army's reliance on space, missile defense and high altitude assets show how valuable these domains can be. It also highlights how vulnerable they can be in achieving our nation's strategic objectives. USASMDC/ARSTRAT plays a significant role in maximizing the effects of these domains in current and future conflicts.

"There are some incredible individuals in this organization who do a lot in support of our great nation and allies," Enix added. "The team's commitment to providing capabilities in space, missile defense and high altitude is awe inspiring, and is a testament to the efforts of the Soldiers, civilians, and families globally dispersed across 23 different locations."

Related Links:

USASMDC/ARSTRAT web page

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USASMDC/ARSTRAT Twitter page

SMDC Colorado photo page

SMDC Huntsville photo page